Cabinet and bracket therefor



March 24, 1953 J. w. ANDERSON CABINET AND BRACKET THEREFOR 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. l, 1947 f INVENToR.

JoHN W ANDERSON .JATOENEY March 24, 1.953

J. w. ANDERSON l2,632,684

CABINET AND BRACKET THEREFOR Filed Oct. l, 1947 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHNVVANDERsoN BY MJ @fd March 24, v1953 J. w. ANDERSON CABINET AND BRACKETTHEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet-5 Filed OCb. l, 11.947`

75L- `-V INVENToR. JOHN W. ANDERSON Patented Mar. 24, 1953 CABINET ANDBRACKET THEREFOR John W. Anderson, Gary, Ind., assignor to Prol ductveInventions, Inc., a corporation of Indiana Application October 1V, 1947,Serial No. 777,216 i (Cl. S12-245) 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the construction of portablecabinets including improved means for' supporting the same.

More particularly the subject invention has been designed andconstructed whereby the service oiered by attendants or operators atgasoline stations may be improved and expedited and merchandise, such aswindshield wiper blades and arms, is made readily available.

Some stations provide a cabinet or other container divided intocompartments; for example, one compartment for clean paper towels forcleaning the windshield and other surfaces, and another within which todispose of the towels after Since such cabinets do not carry anymerchandise for sale, one Yof the principal objects of the invention isto provide an auxiliary cabinet containing merchandise which may bereadilyrdetachably connected or hooked onto a towel cabi- 'net andappropriately displayed t0 supplement or complement the facilitiesoffered by the towel cabinet, the construction and arrangement alsobeing such that the use of one cabinet does not in any way interferewith the use of the other.

An important object Vof the invention is to provide improved bracketmeans whereby the cabinet containing the merchandise for salemay bereadily attached to some mounting other than a towel cabinet. Morespecifically in this connection, the object is to provide a cabinet witha pairfcf brackets Awhich when assembled provide means for attaching thecabinetto a mounting,

such as a pillar or stanchion, and when disassem' bled, one of thebrackets may be employed to the exclusion of the other to support thecabinet with respect to a different mounting or mountings. In otherwords, both brackets may be Yused for one installation while only onebracket is required for another installation. With y this arrangementoperators or attendantsk may select the type of Amounting orsupportfmost suitable for their respective station setups.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the subjectcabinet is supported in a substantial or stable position, includingmeans for maintaining the back Wall of such cabinet in spaced relationto the front wall of another cabinet or support so as to prevent damageor marring of such front wall or support and any indicia :appearingthereon.

An additional object of the invention is to profvid'e a member which isdesigned and constructed :to serve a plurality of uses such as a bracketfor .supporting a cabinet, amounting for a closure member, and an eavestrough to receive rain running down the cover of the towel cabinet orother adjacent surfaces of a support for discharge exteriorly of thesubject cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide the cabinet with meanscooperative with the detachable bracket for `holding or mounting thecabinet in a predetermined position and an arrangement by which suchcooperative means and a divider in the cabinet are secured together bythe same fastening, means.

A still further object of the invention is .to provide a cabinet with areceptacle or pan for water and means for detachably holding suchreceptacle within a compartment provided therefor adjacent the lowerextremity of the cabinet,

Other objects ,and advantages of the invention will become apparentyafter reading the description hereinafter set forth in conjunction withthe drawings annexed hereto.

In the drawings,

Figurel illustrates a front view in elevation of the cabinet embodyingthe invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the cabinet;

Figure 4 is a side view in elevation of the cabinet illustrated inFigures 1 to3 attached to a particular type of mounting, such as anothercabinet;

Figure 5 is -a transverse section taken substantially on line 5 5 ofFigure 1 illustrating details of construction; .4

Figure 6 is la transverse section taken substantially on line 6-6 ofFigure `1 showing other details of construction;

Figure '7 is a `front view in elevation of an auxiliary bracket which isadapted for detachable association with a bracket normally carried bythe cabinet;

Figure 8 is a side View in elevation of the cabinet, portions of whichare shown in section to illustrate Icertain details of construction,including the particular mode in which the bracket exemplied in Figure 7is associated with the cabinet, and a different type of support to whichsuch bracket is adapted to be connected;

Figure 9 is a transverse sectional View, showing a different way inwhich the auxiliary bracket exemplified in Figure 7 `may be detachablyconnected to a support such as a pillar or stanchion; and

Figure l0 is a front view in elevation of the lower part of the cabinetdepicting a door member which may be employed to close the openingleading to the compartment for the water receptacle when the setup issuch that the compartment and/ or receptacle is not be used.

The complete cabinet assembly embodying the invention is preferablyelongated in cross section and, among other things, includes an uppercompartment I for merchandise, a lower compartment 2 for a pan orreceptacle 3 adapted to contain water or other fluid, a bracket 4normally associated with the cabinet for supporting the cabinet withrespect to a mounting such as another cabinet, and an auxiliary bracket5 adapted for assembly with the bracket 4 whereby the cabinet may beconnected to a different type or kind of mounting, all of which will bedescribed more in I detail subsequently.

The frame of the cabinet comprises a Vertical front wall 6, side walls Iintegral with the front wall, and a substantially planar back wall 8secured against the inner faces of the overlapping rear flange portionsof the side walls by rivets S, as illustrated` in Figures 5 and ,6. Itis -to be understood that, if found desirable, the various parts orportions hereinafter referred toas being secured by rivets may beattached together by `other means, such as -by spot-welding. The lowerextremity of .the back wall of .the ,cabinet is preferably provided withan integral forwardly extending .continuation which constitutes aninclined bottom wall t of the cabinet. This bottom wall is provided withan upturned portion II which is secured against 4the inner surface Aofthe front Vend wall by rivets I2. The upper end of the back wall ispreferably provided with a ,forwardly extending inclined upper or topwall portion I3.

A partition I4 provides `a bottom supporting wall for merchandise, suchas assorted Windshield wiper blades and arms. This partition is providedwith depending side flanges ,I and a rear iiange IE which areArespectively secured against the inner surfaces of the side walls andback wall .of the cabinet by rivets .I'I. The forward portion of thepartition is preferably supported on a rearwardly extending ange I8integral with the front wall f6 of the cabinet. This partition ispreferably inclined in order `that any water or foreign mattervinadvertently entering the upper compartment may pass downwardly intothe receptacle 3 through suitable openings I9 provided therefor in thepartition.

A generally channel-shaped divider 2D `is Varranged in the uppercompartment in spaced relation to the partition and secured to the backwall 8 of the cabinet by rivets 2;I. It will `be noted that although notessential, the divider is slightly offset with respect to the medialline of the cabinet to divide the upper compartment vinto three cells ofunequal size in order Vto accommodate the packaged arms and blades in adesired manner. Attention is directed to the fact that a holding member22 is secured to the back wall of the cabinet by certain of the rivets2| which secure the divider to suchV Wall. This holding member is formedwith an upturned portion 23 spaced from the back wall to provide achannel for receiving the lower extremity of the auxiliary bracket 5above referred to, the purpose of which will be described more in detailsubsequently.

The unique bracket means 4 and 5 employed for supporting the cabinet asmentioned above will now be described. The bracket 4, among otherthings, includes an inclined base portion 24 which is secured by rivets25 to the inclined upper for wardly extending top wall portion I3 of thecabinet. These rivets also extend through the leaf 2E of a hinge 21 forsecuring the latter to the base. The base is provided with downturnedears 28 adjacent its extremities which are secured against the outersurfaces of the side walls of the cabinet by rivets 29. 'I'he rear wall30 of a cover or lid 3i is preferably secured to the other leaf 32 ofthe hinge by spot-welding. The cover, base, and hinge are preferably.constructed and arranged so that the cover when closing off the uppercompartment, will assume an inclined pcvsition, as illustrated in Figure2, to assist in shedding water. kAttention is directed to the fact thatthe depending front and side walls of the cover are preferably spacedwith respect to the front and side walls of the cabinet in order todeiiect water away from `the latter. The front depending Wall portion ofthe cover may be provided with an out-turned lip portion 33 which may bemanually engaged to manipulate the cover. In order to further assist -inpreventing water and any foreign matter from enteringthe uppercompartment of the cabinet, the base portion 24 of thebracket ispreferably provided with an upturned fiange 34, disposed forwardly ofthe hinge, and with its upper longitudinal marginal edge lo cated abovethe lower marginal edge of the rear Wall 3Q of the cover.

The bracket 4 'is further provided with an integral vertical portion 35arranged substantially in the same plane as the back wall of thecabinet, a rearwardly extending substantially horizontal portion 36, anupright portion 31 arranged substantially parallel to the verticalportion, a top rearwardly extending wall portion 38 arrangedsubstantially parallel to the horizontal portion, and a dependingholding `portion 39 arranged substantially parallel to the vertical andupright walls just referred to. The top rearwardly extending portion 3'8of the bracket is preferably provided with a pair of slots 4U, thepurpose of which will be described subsequently. The vertical portionv35 may serve asa stop for the cover when the latter is tilted asindicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2. It will be noted that theholding portion 39 extends downwardly an appreciable distance insubstantially spaced apart parallel relation to the back Wall '8 of thecabinet and that its lower marginal edge is preferably rounded as at 4I.

As clearly exemplied in Figure 4 of the drawing, the cabinet justdescribed is adapted to be supported with respect to a cabinet 42. Thisis accomplished by raising a cover or lid 43 of the cabinet 42 thenadjusting the subject-cabinet to a position whereby the top wall 38 ofthe bracket `4 will rest on the upper marginal edge of the front wall 44of cabinet 42 with the upright portion '31 and the depending portion 39of the bracket disposed on opposite sides of the front wall 44. Thedepending portion 3.9 ofthe bracket may be easily piloted into thecabinet 42 dueto the provision of the rounded marginal edges 4I. Theportions 3S through 39 of the bracket are preferably so constructed andarranged that they will not interfere with the use of cabinet 42 or theoperation of its cover 43. It will be noted that the downturned frontwall portion 45 of the cover 43 overhangs the upper extremity of thebracket 4 so that when viewing Vthe vtwo cabinets together from thefront they will appear as one. This front wall also serves Ato excluderain from inadvertently entering the supporting cabinet 42. If desired,suitable openings 46 may be provided adjacent the junction between thebase wall 24 and vertical wall 35 of the bracket so that rain -acaacs4.caught inthe. trough formed by the bracket may In order to protect thefront wall 44 of .the sup.- porting cabinet or other mounting againstdamage, the back wall 8 of the subject cabinetis preferably providedwith a pair of resilientbumpers 41 which are adapted to engage thewalll44, the size of the bumpers and the width of the wall'31 ofthebracket being such that the subject cabinet isv maintained in asubstantially parallel relation to the supporting cabinet Aor some otherdesirable mounting.

The auxiliary bracket exemplified in Figures '1, 8, and 9, as statedabove, ;is adapted for detachable association with bracket 4 so that thesubjectcabinet may be mounted on a support Asuch as a wall or pillar.Bracket5 may be constructed as desired, but is preferablymadesubstantially flat and generally rectangular in shape `and includesa-central base portion 4B, an upper portion 49 offset Yforwardly withrespect to the base,l and a lower portion 50 offset toa slightly greaterextent than the upper portion. rlhe upper portion is provided with apair of rounded projections` 5| f and the central portion with' a pairof longitudinally spaced apertures 52 for the reception o f Ascrews 53or otherfastening means. The central portion is lalso-providedwith twopairs of slots 54, a pair of slots being associated with each aperture,for receiving one or more straps 55. The overall length of the bracketis made slightly less than the distance from the top wall 38 of thebracket 4 and the base of the channel formed by the holding member 22 toprovide suffi- .cient clearance for entry of the bracket 5 sidewaysbetween the bracket 4 and holding member to a position whereby therounded projections 5| will be received in the slots 49 and so that thesaid top wall will rest upon the upper marginal edge of the bracket asclearly illustrated in Figure 8. Attention is directed to the fact thatthe upper portion 49 of bracket 5, is preferably oiset a suicientdistance to allow for the positioning of the depending holding wall 39of bracket 4 between such offset portion and the outer surface of asupporting wall 56 of a mounting, and that the upturned portion 23 ofthe holding member 22 is of a sufficient height to maintain the lowerportion 50 of bracket 5 between portion 23 and the back wall 8 of thecabinet. The bracket 5 is substantially rigid in character and thecabinet is held in a stable upstanding position when associatedtherewith. More specifically in this respect, the cabinet is heldagainst sidewise movement by reason of the projections 5l which extendinto the slots 40. The depending flange portion 39 and holding member 22also assist to prevent tilting and outward movement of the cabinetrelative to its mounting. The bumpers 41 may serve to engage the outerface of the supporting wall 4B to further assist in stabilizing thecabinet.` With this arrangement the cabinet may be readily assembled anddisassembled with respect to the auxiliary bracket 5.

As exemplified in Figure 9, straps 55 are adapted to be threaded throughthe slots 54 so that the auxiliary bracket may be detachably securedwith respect to another type of support such as a pillar or stanchion51. A bolt or bolts 58 may be employed for securing the straps to thepillar.

In View of the foregoing it will Ibe manifest cabinet provides meanswherebythe cabinetl may be readily connectedand disconnected, withoutthe aid of tools, to one typeof mounting or support such as anothercabinet 4and that such cabinet may also be supported with respect toanother type or types of mountingsby the use of the auxiliary bracket 5....The lower compartment of the cabinet and 'appurtenances will now bedescribed. The vertical front wall S of the cabinet is preferablyprovided with a generally rectangular vopening 59 of a size to permiteasy access to the, compartment,'particularly to the contents of the pan3. A door 60 is adapted to be resilientlysecured in the opening in sucha way that the outer face of the door is disposed substantially flushwith the outerface of the front wall of the cabinet, as illustrated inFigure 8 ofthe drawing.V The front wall of the 'preferably upturned asillustrated in Figure 8 to assist in preventing rain'from running overthe topV ofthe door 69 into the compartment 2; The lower portion of thedoor is arranged to engage the front wall of the cabinet, as clearlyillustrated in Figure 8, and may be provided with a lip portion 56 whichmay be manually engaged to assist in opening and closing the door to thecompartment when the pan is not used. When the pan or receptacle is tobe used the door will be detached from the cabinet.

The receptacle 3 is preferably detachably secured in the compartment 2by a resilient latch 61. This latch is secured at one end to the backwall of the cabinet by a rivet 68 and its other end is provided with astop portion 59 which is adapted to engage the outer surface of the backwall to predetermine a holding portion 10 of the latch in engagementwith the beaded rear edge that the bracket 4 normally associated withthe 75 of the pan to detachably secure the pan in place, the arrangementbeing such that the pan normally assumes a tilted position so as tofacilitate access to its contents, such as a water absorbent cleaningpad illustrated by the dotted lines in Figure 2. It will be noted that aportion of the latch is movable through a clearance aperture 1l providedin the back wall. To remove the pan it is merely necessary to press thelatch rearwardly.

If found desirable, the bottom wall I9 of the cabinet may be pro-videdwith a plurality of slots 12 so that any water splashing over the rim ofthe receptacle or any rain or foreign matter inadvertently entering thecompartment 2 will be directed forwardly and pass downwardly andvoutwardly through these slots.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that 'variousmodications may be made in lthe same without -departingfrom the spiritof the invention; and, therefore, I do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself to the exact forms, constructions, arrangements, andcombinations of parts herein shown and described.'

I claim:

1. A bracket and cover assembly for a cabinet, said bracket comprising abase wall, a cover for the cabinet hingedly connected to said wall, anupstanding wall integral with said base wall providing :a stop Afor-the.cover, a top wall integral Ywith said upstanding'wall Vfor supportingtheto a support.

2. A cabinet having a back wall, a member carried by the cabinet, saidmember having a top wall, apertures provided in the top wall of themember, holding means carried by the back wall having a rearwardlyextending portion and a holding portion spaced substantially parallel tothe back Walla bracket having an upper portion provided with lugsprojecting beyond the upper marginal edge of the upper portion andlocated in the apertures, said bracket also having a lower portionlocated in the space between the said holding portion and back Wall, theoverall length of the bracket being less than the distance between thetop wall of the member and the rearwardly extending portion of theholding means so that the cabinet and member as a unit can be shifted torelease the lugs from the apertures and thereby permit removal of theunit from the bracket. f"

3. A cabinet having a top wall and a back wall, a channel member carriedby the top wall, apertures provided in the base wall of the channel,holding means carried by the back wall having a rearwardly extendingportion and a holding portion spaced substantially parallel to the backwall, a bracket having 'an upper portion provided withlugs projectingbeyond vthe-upper marginal edge of the upper portion and located in theapertures, said bracket also having a lower portion located in the spacebetween the said yholding portion and back Wall, the overall length ofthe bracket being less than the distance between the base Wall of thechannel and the rearwardly extending portion of the holding means sothat the cabinet and channel as a unit can be raised to release the lugsfrom the apertures and thereby permit removal of the unit from thebracket.

JOHN W. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 849.656 Brennan Apr. 9, 1907y1,016,982 Carpenter Feb. 13, 1912 1,313,498 Nason Aug. 19, 1919 Y1,790,977 De Boer Feb. 3, 1931 1,887,159 Knight Nov. 8, 1932 1,916,509Hammer July 4, 1933 1,969,580 Robertson Aug. 7, 1934 1,981,674 SolomonNov. 20, 1934 2,316,833 Baron Apr. 20, 1943 2,376,411 Ahrndt May 22,1945 2,521,572 Eckel Sept. 5, 1950.

